1. Field of the Invention
This invention refers to a breathing aid for laryngotomy tracheostomy patients.
2. Description of Prior Art
For patients of this kind it is very important that the air inhaled through the larynx as far as possible will have the same properties as the air which normally may pass through the nose and pharynx. For this purpose aids have been developed which filter the air and moisten it. Further it is important that these aids will enable the patient to take a shower bath without risk, to be out in the open air also in rainy weather, and so forth.
By SE 462 367 it is previously known to arrange a so called preheating shield which may be slid onto the filter house or the cover thereof and which when applied will effect that the inhaled air will consist of the air column which is pre-warmed by the heat from the human body and which raises from the chest and lower neck region of the patient. It may be emphasized that a breathing aid which is intended for use by tracheostomy patients in addition to said filtering and moistening function should include a valve making it possible for the patient to talk. The mentioned SE patent describes such a breathing aid having, however, no valve for tracheostomy patients.
The known breathing aids are encumbered with some other serious drawbacks. One of them is that the filtering house has to be provided with a separate cover which may be difficult to apply and which easily may be lost. A second drawback is that the heating shield--which enables the patient to take shower baths without the risk of inhaling water--easily may be displaced from its initial correct position and/or may be erroneously applied such that the sucking channel thereof will be wrongly directed. This, of course, entails a considerable risk for the patient as inhaling water or air strongly mixed with water may bring forth serious damage.